Ratfolk (9 RP)

Fully fleshed-out hirelings and arch-nemeses for your characters await within! The Book of Friends and Foes: Ratfolk of the Ruins delivers seven NPCs to expand your Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. These ratfolk will keep your characters guessing who to trust and what deadly danger lurks around the corner. Covering CR 1/2-8, these NPCs will steal your evil Game Master’s heart along with the player’s gold pouches. Use these friends and foes to hang plot hooks and move your adventure along.

This 12-page PDF includes 7 ratfolk NPCs with complete statblocks using options from beyond the Core Rulebook.

Ratfolk are small, rodent-like humanoids; originally native to subterranean areas in dry deserts and plains, they are now more often found in nomadic trading caravans. Much like the pack rats they resemble, ratfolk are tinkerers and hoarders by nature, and as a whole are masters of commerce, especially when it comes to acquiring and repairing mechanical or magical devices. Though some are shrewd merchants who carefully navigate the shifting alliances of black markets and bazaars, many ratfolk love their stockpiles of interesting items far more than money, and would rather trade for more such prizes to add to their hoards over mere coins. It's common to see a successful crew of ratfolk traders rolling out of town with an even larger bundle than they entered with, the whole mess piled precariously high on a cart drawn by giant rats.

Physical Description: Typical ratfolk are average 4 feet tall and weigh 80 pounds. They often wear robes to stay cool in the desert or conceal their forms in cities, as they know other humanoids find their rodent features distasteful. Ratfolk have a strong attraction to shiny jewelry, especially copper, bronze, and gold, and many decorate their ears and tails with small rings made of such metals. They are known to train giant rats (dire rats with the giant creature simple template), which they often use as pack animals and mounts.

Society: Ratfolk are extremely communal, and live in large warrens with plenty of hidden crannies in which to stash their hoards or flee in times of danger, gravitating toward subterranean tunnels or tightly packed tenements in city slums. They feel an intense bond with their large families and kin networks, as well as with ordinary rodents of all sorts, living in chaotic harmony and fighting fiercely to defend each other when threatened. They are quick to use their stockpiles of gear in combat, but prefer to work out differences and settle disputes with mutually beneficial trades.

When a specific ratfolk warren grows overcrowded and the surrounding environment won't support a larger community, young ratfolk instinctively seek out new places in which to dwell. If a large enough group of ratfolk immigrants all settle down in a new, fertile area, they may create a new warren, often with strong political ties to their original homeland. Otherwise, individual ratfolk are inclined to simply leave home and take up residence elsewhere, or wander on caravan trips that last most of the year, reducing the pressure of overcrowding at home.

Relations: Ratfolk tend to get along quite well with humans, and often develop ratfolk societies dwelling in the sewers, alleys, and shadows of human cities. Ratfolk find dwarves too hidebound and territorial, and often mistake even mild criticisms from dwarves as personal attacks. Ratfolk have no particular feelings about gnomes and halflings, although in areas where those races and ratfolk must compete for resources, clan warfare can become dogma for generations. Ratfolk enjoy the company of elves and half-elves, often seeing them as the calmest and most sane of the civilized humanoid races. Ratfolk are particularly fond of elven music and art, and many ratfolk warrens are decorated with elven art pieces acquired through generations of friendly trade.

Alignment and Religion: Ratfolk individuals are driven by a desire to acquire interesting items and a compulsion to tinker with complex objects. The strong ties of ratfolk communities give them an appreciation for the benefits of an orderly society, even if they are willing to bend those rules when excited about accomplishing their individual goals. Most ratfolk are neutral, and those who take to religion tend to worship deities that represent commerce and family.

Adventurers: Ratfolk are often driven by a desire to seek out new opportunities for trade, both for themselves and for their warrens. Ratfolk adventurers may seek potential markets for their clan's goods, keep an eye out for sources of new commodities, or just wander about in hopes of unearthing enough treasure to fund less dangerous business ventures. Ratfolk battles are often decided by cunning traps, ambushes, or sabotage of enemy positions, and accordingly young ratfolk heroes often take up classes such as alchemist, gunslinger, and rogue.

Languages: Ratfolk begin play speaking Common. Ratfolk with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Aklo, Draconic, Dwarven, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Orc, and Undercommon. See the Linguistics skill page for more information about these languages.

Swarming: Ratfolk are used to living and fighting communally, and are adept at swarming foes for their own gain and their foes' detriment. Up to two ratfolk can share the same square at the same time. If two ratfolk in the same square attack the same foe, they are considered to be flanking that foe as if they were in two opposite squares.

Senses Racial Traits

Darkvision: Ratfolk can see perfectly in the dark up to 60 feet.

Alternate Racial Traits

The following alternate racial traits may be selected in place of one or more of the standard racial traits above. Consult your GM before selecting any of these new options.

Cornered Fury: Ratfolk can fight viciously when cut off from friends and allies. Whenever a ratfolk with this racial trait is reduced to half or fewer of his hit points, and has no conscious ally within 30 feet, he gains a +2 racial bonus on melee attack rolls and to Armor Class. This racial trait replaces swarming.

Scent: Some ratfolk have much more strongly developed senses of smell, instead of keen eyes and ears. These ratfolk have the scent ability, but take a –2 penalty on all Perception checks based primarily on sight or hearing. This racial trait replaces tinker.

Skulk: Some ratfolk can blend easily into their environments, and move with surprising grace. Ratfolk gain a +2 racial bonus on Stealth checks, and take only a –5 penalty on Stealth checks made to hide from creatures they have distracted with a Bluff check (rather than the normal –10 penalty). This racial trait replaces tinker.

Unnatural: Some ratfolk unnerve normal animals, and train to defend themselves against the inevitable attacks from such creatures. These ratfolk take a –4 penalty on all Charisma-based skill checks to affect creatures of the animal type, and receive a +2 dodge bonus to AC against animals. An animal's starting attitude toward ratfolk is one step worse than normal. This racial trait replaces rodent empathy.

Favored Class Options

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

Gunslinger: Add a +1/2 bonus on initiative checks when the gunslinger has at least 1 grit point.

Monk: Add +1 feet to the speed the monk can move while making a Stealth check without taking a penalty. This has no effect unless the monk has selected this reward five times (or another increment of five). This does not allow the monk to use Stealth while running or charging.

Witch: Add +5 feet to the range of one hex with a range other than “touch.”

3rd Party Publisher Favored Class Options - Jon Brazer Enterprises

Bard Add a +1 bonus on concentration checks when casting bard spells and within 5 feet of an ally. (SourceJBE:SF:FCO)

Cavalier Add +1 foot to the size of all the cavalier’s tactician class features. This option has no effect unless the cavalier has selected it 5 times (or another increment of 5); an increase of 14 feet is effectively the same as +10 feet to the tactician class feature, for example. (SourceJBE:SF:FCO)

Cleric Add a +1 bonus on concentration checks when casting cleric spells and within 5 feet of an ally. (SourceJBE:SF:FCO)

Inquisitor: Add one spell known from the inquisitor’s spell list. This spell must be at least one level below the highest level spell the inquisitor can cast. (SourceJBE:SF:FCO)